Foldable chicken crate or coop



O. M. BATES FOLDABLE CHICKEN CRATE 011 0001 Dec. 18, 192 nmmm Filed March 11, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 o. M. BATES FOLDABLE CHICKEN CRATE 0R COOP Dec. 18 1923.

2 Shets-Sheei 2 Filed March 11. .1922

Patented Dec, 18, 12.23

OTIS Id. BATES, 03'? FRIEDTDSHIP, TENNESSEE.

FOLDABLE CHICKEN CRATE GR GOOP.

Application filed March 11, 1322.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, One M. Barns, a citi zen of the United States, residing at Friendship, inthe county of Crockett and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foldable Chicken Crates or Coops, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to foldable containers, and particularly to crates or coops such as are used for confining chickens in market places and while in transit.

The general object of this invention is to provide a coop of standard dimensions which, however, may be folded into compact form for transportation, thus lessening the expense of returns.

A further object is to provide" a coop of this character in which the side and ends fold down upon the bottom of the coop and in which the top is foldable onto the side and ends when the latter are against the bottom, the side, ends and top being capable of being locked in operative position against any accidental displacement.

A still further object is to provide a coop of this character which is very simple in construction, which may be cheaply made, and which will resist jolts and jars incident to transportation.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated. in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view of a chicken coop constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a like view to Figure l, but showing the chicken coop knocked down for shipment;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevation of one end of the coop; Figure 4: is a section on the line 41 1 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary vertical section through the coop knocked down;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section at one end of the bottom showing the manner in which a wooden frame may be connected to the body or floor of the coop;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of an end frame and side frame and the connecting rod therefor.

Referring to these drawings, 10 designates Serial No. 542,973.

the bottom of the coop, which is preferably made of light wood, though other material. might be used. The sides of the coop are designated 11 and the ends of the coop 12. The side walls of the coop are preferably formed with a skeleton framework, either of wood or metal, and covered with chicken wire, designated 13. The same is true of the ends 12. The sides and ends are operatively hinged to the bottom 10 by any suitable means, but 1 have illustrated wire staples, U-bolts or like devices, designated 141-, and extending around the bottom rods or bars of the side and end frames. The end frames 12 carry eyes 15, and swingingly connected to the end bars 16 of the side frames are the rods 17 formed with eyes 18 which fit loosely around the end bars 16 and at their opposite ends are formed with closed hooks 19 at all times engaged with the eyes 15. W' hen the ends 12 are in a vertical position, the rods 17, as illustrated in Figure 1, will hold the sides in a vertical position and against any inward movement. If, however, the end frames 12 be turned inward, the rods 17 will draw the side frames inward on top of the end frames.

The top of the coop is formed by a frame, designated generally 20, which is also made of wood or metal and open-work or skeletonic form and covered with wire netting. This frame is formed to provide a sliding or hinged door 21 in the middle, of the usual character. The doorway is defined by the two transversely extending rods or bars 22, and these rods or bars 22 are connected to the end rods or bars 23 of the top frame by a pair of longitudinally extending rods or bars 24:. Pivoted between each pair of longitudinal rods 24: is a lever, designated generally 25, which lever is pivoted on a pivot pin 26. Preferably the lever is formed of an approximately Ushaped rod so as to provide two longitudinally extending, parallel arms for the lever, these arms at their ends being bent around the upper rod or cross bar 27 of the end frames 12. Pivoted to one of the rods or bars 24 is a latch 28, and when the crate is disposed in operative position,

that is its unfolded position, the inner ends of the lovers 25 are depressed and the latches 28 extended over these inner ends, thus holding the end walls 12 in a vertical position and locked against movement. Inasmuch a will be ready for transportation. 7 means indicated at 1+; for hingedly connecmg the side and'end frames or walls to the the side walls 11 are locked to the end walls 12 by the rods 17, it is obvious that the side and end-walls will be held in a vertical position against any movement so long a the parts are latched.

If it be desired to fold the coop, the latches 28 are released. and the levers 25 turned completely over, folding the end walls down against the bottom, drawing the side walls inward over the end walls and carrying the top down on top of the side walls. Under these circumstances, the coop will occupy but a relatively small space and The bottom may beof any suitable character and U-shaped wires may be run through the bottom and over the lower rods or bars of the frame in an obvious manner. Where the frame is made of wood, however, the end posts will preferably be provided with metal reinforcing sleeves, designated 29, and the hinge wires will run through these sleeves. Where ametallic frame is used, the metallic frame is preferably covered with wire netting, as for instance chicken wire. Where a wooden frame is used. the frame is crossed bywooden slats. Obviously I do not wish tobe limited to these details of construction, as these may be modifiedin many ways without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

VVhen it is desired to expand the coop or crate, the levers 25 are turned into the position shown in Fig. 1, which carries the end walls 12 into a vertical position and simultaneously carries the side walls into a vertical position. As soon as the levers 25 are locked by the latches 28, the side walls and end walls will be looked against inward movement or outward movement. The coop or crate when folded has a thickness of only a few inches and thus it is obvious that many crates may be transported at the same cost at which a single crate is transported today. The device is very simple, may be cheaply made, is thoroughly rigid when unfolded and locked, and has many advantages over the ordinary coop or crate.

I claim '1. A coop or crate of the character described comprising a bottom, side and end walls hinged to the bottom for movement from a position against the bottom to a vertical position, a top, levers pivotally connected tothe top and operatively engaging at their outer ends with a air or said walls, latches on the top holding the levers in a horizontal plane and the walls with which the levers are connected in vertical planes,

and means for locking the other two walls of the coop to the walls to which the levers are connected. 7

2. A foldable coop or crate of the character described comprising a bottom, end walls hinged to the bottom for movement into vertical planes, a top, levers connected to the top and hingedly connected to the free edges of the end walls, latches holding said levers parallel to the top and thereby holding the end walls in a vertical position, side walls, rods loosely connected to the end and side walls and movable into position across the end walls, and means on the side and end walls engaging the extremities of said rods.

3. A foldable. coop o-r crate comprising a bottom, top, side and end walls hingedly connected to each other, the side and end walls being foldable beneath the top onto the bottom, the top being movable toward or from the bottom, and means for locking the side and end walls in a vertical position to support the top. 2

4. A chicken coo-p or crate comprising a bottom, end walls and. side Walls hinged to the bottom for movement into a position parallel to the bottom or into a vertical position, a top having adjacent its opposite ends pairs of longitudinally extending frame rods, levers pivoted between said rods and pivotally connected tothe free edges of the end walls, latches mounted upon said frame rods for holding said levers in a horizontal position, eyes on the free edges of the end walls, and rods pivoted to the ends of the side walls and adapted to extend over the end walls and engage with said eyes.

5. A foldable coop or crate comprising a bottom, top, side and end walls, the side and end walls being hingedly connected to the bottom of the crate, levers connecting the opposite walls of the coop to the top, and

means operatively connecting the other walls of the coop to the first named walls and causing all of said walls to move simultane ously to a horizontal position or simultaneously to a vertical position. 7

6. A. foldable coop or crate comprising a bottom, top, side and end walls, the side and end walls being hingedly connected to the bottom, means permanently connecting-the top to opposite walls of the coop, and means permanently connecting the side and end walls, both of said means permitting the side and end walls to be locked in a vertical position or the side and end walls and top to be folded down into a position parallel toand against the bottom.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

OTISM. BATES. r 

